The Lunar Knights
by AnimeNerd215
Summary: Ben "Lancelot" Hikari is an American gamer who get's the brand new MMO SAO from a friend back in Japan as a late birthday gift, suspecting nothing wrong. That quickly changes when it's revealed he and so many others are trapped in the game. Deciding to form a Guild to help make it easier to survive, he has one hundred floors to survive. Can he keep himself, and his friends, alive?
1. Chapter 1

Sword Art Online: The Lunar Knights

Disclaimer: *arms crossed* why must I always do this!? I own nothing from SAO. The OCs belong to me. I've lost count of how many times I've had to repeat this for each story I do sheesh.

* * *

Chapter 1: Trapped in Paradise

The gamer known as Ben "Lancelot" Hikari ran into his room, throwing the box he had onto his bed and tearing it open and pulling out the contents, reading the note first, trying to catch his breath since, although he had an athletic build and was pretty limber, had carried the thing up a full flight of stairs while running.

Dear Hikari,

Happy late 16th birthday! Sorry this had to come when it did. I remembered how big a fan of MMO's you were, and hope you still are. This is Sword Art Online along with a NerveGear for it. My parents thought it would be a good idea, and since my dad works for the company that made it, he managed to get a copy sent out early that would reach you on launch day back here in Japan! (Which if I remember correctly is a day later for you since you live in America now, and only one of two sent to America I might add, not sure who got the other one) I'll be logging on to, so be sure to find me! You remember my typical screen name right? Gawain. Since you're all for those Arthurian legends and all. Hope you remember your kendo lessons! We've already made your avatar and login data. Username's the same one you always use, and feel free to change the password, which right now is just your last name, and of course the weapon you'll have is a Masamune sword, since I know that's your favorite type of weapon. My dad said he uploaded some special items onto your account, lucky you, but hey, it is your birthday gift! See ya' online!

From, Minato Kusanagi

P.S: Your avatar looks like you, well, as much as it could get anyway.

"Wow, I really owe ya' this time Minato." Lancelot breathed out, sliding the disk into his computer and watching it boot up. When it requested that he plug in the NerveGear he did, placing it on his head after removing his brown glasses. "Gah!" he gasped, shooting up after taking off the helmet, going and flipping the "Do not disturb" sign around.

"Alright, good to go." Lancelot sighed, sliding the helmet back on, moving his dark brown hair back so it wouldn't get in his face. _Let's go_ he thought, closing his eyes.

(In SAO/ Floor 1: Town of Beginnings)

_Welcome to Sword Art Online_ appeared in front of Lancelot as he opened his eyes, actually, his avatar's eyes. He looked around, giving a low whistle at how impressive everything looked, looking down at himself.

"Ni-i-i-ice!" he laughed, "Man, this is impressive. Virtual Reality rocks!" He laughed.

"Hey, Lancelot!" a voice that was all too familiar said from behind.

"Nice to see you Gawain!" Lancelot laughed. Gawain's avatar had on a red and black variation of the starter gear Lancelot was wearing. He had the appearance of a standard fantasy hero, red spiky hair in direct contrast to how Lancelot knew he looked, whereas Lancelot looked pretty closed to how he normally did, dark brown hair only marginally longer than it normally was, and his eyes were pretty close to the same hazel and green color from what he saw in a reflection in a nearby pond, and his face looked more mature than it really was.

"Man, this is so cool!" Lancelot laughed before shaking his head, adopting a more serious look, "Nice to see you decided to show." He said in a monotone.

"Guess you're in gamer mode now huh?" Gawain sighed, getting a nod, "By the way, did you check your inventory for those items I said were put in there?" he asked next.

"Actually I didn't." Lancelot said, bringing up his menu and scrolling through his inventory. "Hmmm, nice, let's see how I can roll this new look." He said, tapping the "equip all" button. In a flash of blue, Lancelot was standing there in a white trench coat with black lining, and he now had a katana like blade on his waist, the hilt black. Pulling the blade out of the sheath, Lancelot gave it a few swings, liking the feel he was getting along with the white blade.

"Coolest birthday gift ever man." He chuckled, sliding the sword back into its sheath, sliding the flat along the top and then placing it in. "So uh, where are we?" he asked Gawain, who fell over anime style.

"We're at floor one: The town of Beginnings. This is where all the newbies come in. By now I'd say there's about 10,000 players online now." Gawain said as Lancelot helped him up and they started to make their way through town.

"How much you want to bet some of these girls are really guys?" Lancelot asked.

"You never change do you?" Gawain asked with a sigh.

"You know me. When it comes to being online I'm very reserved and cautious." Lancelot said, putting his arms behind his head, a bored look on his face. He wasn't really bored, just sticking to his gaming persona.

"Yeah. But hey, I'm surprised how ell you're moving! It's almost like you were in the beta test, though I know you weren't. You weren't, right?" Gawain said.

"No, I just learn quickly, and having as good a memory I do helps. But come on, let's get training!" Lancelot said, a devious smile on his face as he rushed off.

"Wait up Lancelot!" Gawain yelled running to catch up.

(Floor 1: Town of Beginnings, West field)

"Ha!" Lancelot yelled, slicing through another boar, making its health drop slightly. "Okay, this is not helping." He muttered, moving to the side as the boar charged again.

"Come on Lancelot, it's not that hard. Look, hanging out in the beta test taught me some stuff. If you put in the right motion input and use a sword skill…" Gawain said, picking up a small rock and getting into a stance to throw it, a red light surrounding with a _vweeen_, "When you feel a slight pause, let it explode out!" he said, throwing the rock and nailing the boar in the rear, directing its attention to him.

"Now give it a try!" Gawain encouraged, holding the boar back.

"Alright." Lancelot said, sliding his sword into its sheath and getting into a stance as to where he would slash, his signature move back when he was in kendo classes. A blue light surrounded his weapon, and Gawain let the boar loose. "HA!" Lancelot grunted as he pulled out his blade and slashed while dashing forward, his sword going right through it. Lancelot stood up straight, swinging the sword in an infinity pattern and sliding the flat along the top of the sheath and then sliding it back in, the boar disappearing when the resounding _clack _his blade made going into the sheath sounding.

"Nice." Lancelot laughed, turning around and looking at the panel that displayed the experience he got, even though it wasn't much. "I'm going to guess and say those boars are only about as strong as your standard slime in other games." Lancelot said, placing his left hand on his swords hilt.

"Pretty much. But there's a ton of skills you can learn to! This games not all about being a warrior, though I know that's what you'll be." Gawain laughed as he swung his sword around. "Still, it's pretty impressive how quickly you're learning. I think that Lunar Masamune's helping you though." Gawain laughed.

"Is that what the swords called?" Lancelot asked.

"Yeah. It was originally only in the beta, but they decided to add it in as a "one time" item. Which means you've got the only one, the coat as well. And man does it make you look badass!" Gawain laughed.

"Yeah, I guess it does!" Lancelot laughed along, adjusting the hood on his coat a little.

"Look out!" a girl's voice yelled. Lancelot turned around, only to get plowed over by a girl, at least that's what he thought. He wasn't sure if it was a guy pretending to be a girl.

"Whoa that's a lot of boars!" Gawain yelled, "Hi yaaah!" he yelled, slashing through about five boars, "Hey, you two just gonna lie there or are you going to help!?" he yelled.

"Uh, right!" the girl said, her blue ponytail smacking Lancelot in the face.

"Hey watch it!" Lancelot yelled.

"Oh, sorry!" The girl said, and Lancelot noticed the blonde streak in her blue hair. She had a heart-shaped face with cheery blue eyes, and had on a blue and gold female starter set, and was pretty limber, but Lancelot was still a little suspicious about her real gender as he stood up and pulled out his sword.

"Took you long enough!" Gawain yelled.

"Sorry about that! Hey, how'd you get so many boars chasing after you anyway?" Lancelot asked the girl, who was pulling her sword out of a boar.

"I kinda fell into a herd when I got separated from my friend. She was showing me around since it's my first time using NerveGear! I don't live in Japan and got my copy and NerveGear as a present form her!" the girl said.

"Wait, you said you don't live in Japan?" Lancelot asked.

"Yeah, why?" the girl asked.

"Just an odd coincidence, considering I'm in the same boat!" Lancelot said as he stabbed a boar through its face.

"Really!? I thought I'd be the only American here! That's a relief!" the girl sighed.

"Okay, enough chit-chat, more hack whack!" Gawain snarled.

"Man, you are taking this way too seriously." Lancelot muttered as he cut through the last boar, sliding his sword back into its sheath.

"Sorry Mr. Casual, but I tend to act a bit more serious when it comes to MMORPG's, thank you very much!" Gawain laughed proudly.

"Nice to see you haven't changed either." Lancelot sighed.

"Uh, hello?" the girl asked, stepping between the two. "I didn't get to say thanks!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Sorry. But before anything else, I want some clarification on something." Gawain said, sticking a finger in the girls face.

"Shoot." The girl said, a bored look on her face.

"Are you _really _a girl, or just a guy posing as one?" Gawain asked.

"Gawain!" Lancelot snapped.

"Hey, just checking." Gawain muttered.

"I am actually a girl, thank you very much! Guys who make their avatar's girls are such sleazebags. I'm Percival by the way." Percival said, sticking out her hand towards Lancelot.

"Lancelot." He replied, shaking Percival's hand in response.

"And I'm Gawain! Wait…. All our screen names are names of Knights of the Round Table! Holy Wasabi!" Gawain laughed.

"That's a weird coincidence." Lancelot chuckled.

"It is huh?" Percival laughed, "Huh? Oh hey, it's Takoyo! Hello?" Percival sighed, a screen with another girl's image popped up.

"_Percival! What happened to you? Do you know how worried I was?" _the pink haired girl blathered.

"It's fine Takoyo. I got some help, and guess what? One of them's the other American player you said would be here!" Percival squealed. _Girls_, Lancelot sighed in his head rolling his eyes.

"_What! Wait, then that means he knows my friend Gawain! GAWAIN!" _Takoyo yelled.

"Whoa, that's really _Takoyo_! I was hoping you meant another!" Gawain gasped as he moved over and stood by Percival. "Uh, hey Takoyo, how ya' doin?" he asked nervously.

"_Is that all you have to say! I was seriously thinking of calling you to find out where you were at, but you said you were going to be helping a friend so I didn't. Speaking of your friend, where is he?" _Takoyo demanded.

"You're asking about me?" Lancelot asked in his monotone, popping up behind the other two.

"_WAGH! Do you always sneak up like that?!" _Takoyo asked.

"No, I just tend to stay quiet." Lancelot muttered, "Lancelot, at your service."

"_Wait, do you have an Arthurian fetish like Percival?" _Takoyo asked.

"Takoyo!" Percival yelled.

"_Sorry. Hey stay put alright? I'm teleporting to you guy's now." _Takoyo said. The screen closed, and Lancelot and Percival shot looks at Gawain.

"What?" He asked.

"How do you know Takoyo?" Percival demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Uhhh…. Well, you see…. Takoyo is …. My uhhh… girlfriend." Gawain relented, his shoulders sagging.

"You're kidding me." Lancelot muttered, his jaw dropping.

"A lot's happened since you moved away Lancelot." Gawain muttered. Lancelot face palmed.

"There you are!" Takoyo said as she ran up to the three "Gawain, you could've told me that you were here sooner! Percival and I would've joined up!" she yelled, getting right up in Gawain's face.

"Hey I'm sorry okay!" Gawain yelled before Takoyo started beating him over the head.

"Wow, I can't believe he's letting a girl smaller than him beat him up." Lancelot sighed, plopping down on the grass.

"Yeah, but Takoyo's a different case entirely." Percival muttered, sitting down next to Lancelot.

"I guess so." Lancelot said, pulling up his menu. "Hey, where the heck is the button to log out?" He asked.

"What do you mean? It's right here…. HUH?" Percival gasped, "Wha!? The hell! Is this a bug or something?!" she yelled.

"I don't know." Lancelot muttered, "Hey, Gawain!"

"Huh?" Gawain grunted, "I give, I give!" he yelled slamming his free hand on the ground, the other pinned by Takoyo.

"Is the logout button supposed to be missing?" Lancelot asked.

"No. That's weird." Gawain said.

"What's going on?" Takoyo asked as the four were automatically teleported.

"WAGH!" Lancelot gasped as he fell onto his hands. "We're back in the square. Why are we back here?" he asked as he helped Percival up.

"I don't know. Hey, what's going on?" Gawain gasped as the sky started showing an alert, and something that looked like blood began to come from it, forming into a hooded Game Master. Lancelot's eyes widened.

"This is just weird." He muttered, noticing that Percival had grabbed his arm, a somewhat scared look on her face. Gawain was in the same position with Takoyo.

"Attention players." The game master said, raising his arms up, "Welcome to my world."

"'My world?'" Lancelot muttered, "What does he mean by that?"

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world." Kayaba stated.

"WHAT!" Gawain shouted in shock.

"This is so messed up!" Takoyo yelled, pulling closer to Gawain and hiding behind him. Lancelot looked around as the other players started chattering in confusion. _This doesn't seem good. _He muttered in his head.

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu." Kayaba continued, "But this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online."

"A feature? What does he mean by that?" Percival asked, confusion obvious.

"You cannot log out of SAO yourselves. And no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter in the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life." Kayaba added.

"WHAT! Does he seriously intend to kill us!?" Lancelot yelled, his normal demeanor cast aside.

"He's gotta be messing with us, right?" Gawain asked, bewildered.

"I really hope he is! I don't want to die!" Takoyo yelled, practically on the verge of tears.

"He is kidding, right, Lancelot?" Percival asked, looking up at him. Lancelot looked down at her, the worry in Percival's eyes getting past his barrier.

"I don't know." Lancelot sighed.

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and family have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two-hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world." Kayaba stated.

"Two hundred and thirteen already! Man, I'm kind of glad I told my mom and dad not to try and get me off." Gawain sighed.

"Me too. My parents and siblings know perfectly well not to come in my room once the doors closed." Lancelot added.

"Takoyo and I logged in at the same time, and Takoyo lives alone since her parents are usually away on business. My parents will probably see the news reports any minute now, I hope they don't try to take my NerveGear off." Percival muttered, distressed.

"As you can see, new organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game." Kayaba continued.

"He wants us to clear the game!" Lancelot and Gawain yelled in unison.

"But I want you to remember this clearly: There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be lost forever. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain." Kayaba declared, his last words echoing.

"Is he trying to play god or something!?" Percival yelled.

"There is only one means of escape: to complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincard. Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the Final Boss on floor one hundred, and you clear the game." Kayaba stated. The players started chattering in confusion, not getting what Kayaba meant. Lancelot tightened his right hand into a fist.

"This guy's a madman! Does he know how long it will take us to clear this game!?" Lancelot yelled out.

"That's impossible! I was in the beta test, and it took me almost eight months just to clear this floor!" Gawain yelled in distress.

"Finally," Kayaba continued, "I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves." Lancelot noted this and opened his menu along with everyone else, noticing that there actually was an item. _Weird, why is it a mirror? _ He wondered as he brought it out, looking at his avatar's reflection. He heard everyone start screaming, and everyone was surrounded by blue light. Lancelot brought up his arms as he was covered in light to. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Gawain looked like he really did: Black hair down to his shoulders, a round, delicate looking face, and his eyes were their usual grey, though he was still as athletically built as his avatar since he was also an avid athlete.

"Lancelot! You, look… well, more like you than you already did! Look at yourself!" Gawain said, gasping when he looked at himself in the mirror, "Holy wasabi! I look the way I do in real life!" he yelled, his mouth hanging open in shock. Lancelot looked down at his mirror and did a double take. He still looked relatively the same, but his eyes were now the same color they actually were, hazel with a decent green highlight, and his face was now a bit more rounded and younger looking. Heck, he even noticed the the scar on his lips.

"Guys, what happened?" Percival asked. Lancelot turned around. Percival was still pretty much how she looked before, but she was now slightly shorter, about 5'6 from what he could tell, only about three inches shorter than himself, and her face was slightly less heart-shaped, her eyes were also more round than before. Lancelot pointed down to Percivals mirror. She looked down and immediately dropped it.

"What! Why do I look like my real life self!?" Percival gasped.

"Speak for yourself." Takoyo muttered. Lancelot and Percival turned around to face the girl. Takoyo's hair was now jet black, like Gawain's, and reached down to her back instead of being up in pigtails, and her eyes were an intense green, and her face was a bit more childish than before.

"How the heck did they get the data on how we look?" Gawain paniced.

"It must've been when we calibrated the NerveGear. When we had to touch ourselves all over. That must've been how they got the data." Lancelot concluded, crossing his arms.

"Right now, you're probably wondering, "Why?" Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do all this?" Kayaba stated, "My goal has already been achieved. To create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the Sword Art Online launch. Good luck players." Kayaba finished, disappearing, the sky switching back to its normal look, appearing golden since it was about evening in Japan.

"Why the hell would he do this?" Lancelot growled.

"I don't know man! This is freaking me out!" Gawain said in a panic.

"Calm down!" Takoyo shouted, slapping Gawain.

"Thank you, I needed that." Gawain replied, his head spinning around. Lancelot heard Percival whimpering and looked down at her.

"We'll find a way through this." Lancelot said encouragingly. Out of nowhere, a panic started up and everyone but the four began rushing for the exit, pushing others out-of-the-way. Yelling various things they had to do, or just plain panicking.

"This is not good." Gawain muttered. Lancelot noticed that the exits opened up.

"Guys, let's get out of here before trouble starts up!" Lancelot declared, grabbing Percival's hand and pulling her along, Gawain and Takoyo following. When they got out of the square and into an alley way, all four started panting and Lancelot leaned on a wall.

"Man, this is just crazy! I don't wanna die! I'm only sixteen!" Gawain yelled.

"Me too!" Takoyo yelled, and the two grabbed each other, fountains of tears coming out like the comic relief characters in an anime.

"Lancelot, what'll we do?" Percival asked.

"If what Kayaba said is true, than the only way we'll survive is to become as strong as possible. All that boar hunting leveled me up a bit, and I'm sure the same goes for you and Gawain." Lancelot said, adjusting his coat slightly and crossing his arms, a dead serious look on his face, "I guess it's about time I quit being the casual gamer." He murmured, looking over at Gawain and Takoyo, who were still bawling their eyes out.

"If we can get them to stop panicking that is." Percival muttered, face palming along with Lancelot.

"Yeah. The only problem is, our resources will be limited. Money and EXP will be very limited, and the fields around this town will soon be hunted dry. I say we move to the next village and hope there are some other player that we can link up with are heading there to. We'll need all the allies we can get." Lancelot explained, bringing up a map and charting a path to the next village.

"Since when were you a team player?" Gawain asked, walking over and looking at the map, "Last time I checked, you tend to avoid groups and fly solo."

"The situations changed. I'm setting up a guild, and you guys will be my first members." Lancelot sated, typing in his guild registration. When he was done, he sent it in. In a quick flash, the other three's outfits had a total palette swap, now black and white like Lancelot's.

"Did you have to put us in by default?" Takoyo demanded.

"Would you rather go alone?" Lancelot asked.

"No, sorry." Takoyo apologized, "My nerves are just frazzled right now."

"Don't worry Takoyo, we'll get through this." Percival said, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Now that that's done and over with, let's go!" Gawain yelled. Lancelot nodded and took off at a run, the other three following at equal paces. As they exited the town, multiple wolves appeared and charged, all four drew their weapons and took out the nearest one. _We will survive! _Lancelot thought as they kept moving, taking out any creatures who got in their way, _I won't let anyone die on me! We'll fight, AND WE WILL WIN!_

**A/N**

**IS THERE ANYONE BESIDES ME WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS AWESOME!? I MEAN, DOING CODE GEASS OVER AGAIN IS SWEET, BUT PUTTING IN A SIDE-CAST OF CHARACTERS IN SAO? TEN TIMES COOLER BY DEFAULT! I AM SO PUMPED!**


	2. Chapter 2

Sword Art Online: The Lunar Knights

Disclaimer: *grumble* I own absolutely zip from SAO. All the OCs belong to me.

**Chapter 2: Beta tester= Hated**

(December 2, 2022/ Floor 1: Tolbana)

"One month, and already, two thousand are gone." Lancelot grumbled as the four wandered around the town they were in, heading for a meeting about the first boss.

"There wasn't anything we could've done." Gawain sighed.

"How many more will die today is my question." Percival muttered, her arms folded.

"Oh come on Perci, don't be all doom and gloom!" Takoyo laughed, spinning around like a ditz. Lancelot couldn't help but laugh quietly. Takoyo always had a way of lightening the mood.

"Let's focus on getting past the first boss." He chuckled as the four walked down the steps and took seats at the pavilion.

"Yep. Man, even though I was in the beta-test this is still pretty difficult." Gawain sighed. Leaning back and placing his arms behind his head. Lancelot sighed as he unhooked his sword from his belt and placed it in front of him, leaning on it with both hands on the hilt, placing his chin on them.

"Okay! Let's get started people!" the player who had apparently called the meeting called out, "Thank you for coming today. My name is Diabel. I like to consider my 'job' as Knight." Diabel introduced. Getting laughs from some of the others, a few pointing out the fact there isn't a job system. Lancelot rolled his eyes with a sigh. In the month since the game had started, his small guild had managed to level up to around twenty or slightly higher thanks to Gawain having been in the beta and he knew a few good hunting spots, and all four were decked out in new armor, though Lancelot had of course kept his coat, which had become something of a trademark along with his Luna Masamune.

"Today, our party found the boss room at the top of the tower." Diabel stated. Many of the other players were surprised, "We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game! Everyone present here shares this duty! Do you all agree?" Diabel continued, looking over the crowd. Most everyone nodded, and Lancelot had a small smirk on his face. Everyone started clapping or whistling their approval.

"All right, then let's begin planning. First, divide into parties of six." Diabel stated. Many of the players who knew each other started forming into groups. Lancelot and the other three just looked around.

"I know that we can handle ourselves, but having two more could help." Percival sighed, rubbing her temples, "Man, I'm pretty sure I'd have a headache if we were back in reality."

"Tell me about it." Lancelot chuckled as he stood up and latched his sword back on. He tuned out Diabel slightly since he already had an idea of how this would work: Multiple parties would help form a raid group that could get the boss onto its knees, and then someone would move in for the final blow, _and _that person, probably Diabel, would wind up pulling a Leroy Jenkins. Lancelot started laughing at the joke he'd just made.

"Dude, what's so funny?" Gawain asked.

"Nothing, nothing." Lancelot replied, waving his left hand and using his right to cover his mouth, which got curious looks from the other three.

"Okay, have you formed your parties?" Diabel asked everyone, "Then-"

"Just a second!" someone yelled. The player who called for a hold jumped down near Diabel, a male player with spikes in his hair that Lancelot thought looked kind of stupid. "My name's Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take on the boss. Some of you need to apologize to the two thousand who have died so far!" Kibaou stated, pointing up to the crowd.

"Kibaou, are you referring to the beta testers?" Diabel asked. Gawains eyes widened, and his hands balled into fists. Lancelot noted this with a worried look, turning back to the front.

"Of course I am! On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared." Kibaou stated.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Gawain shouted, shooting up.

"Gawain! Calm down!" Takoyo said, trying to hold him back.

"Oh, so do we have a beta tester here trying to redeem himself?" Kibaou asked mockingly, "Then why don't you give up all the locations of good hunting spots, easy quests, money and items you've kept to yourself! Then get on your knees and apolo-"

"SHUT UP!" Lancelot yelled, causing Kibaou to look at him in surprise as Lancelot stalked up to him. Lancelot grabbed Kibaou by his shirts collar. "Don't you dare insult my friend! He may be a beta tester, but he willingly told others about the locations of quests and hunting spots so they could get stronger as well! Just because someone was in the beta doesn't mean they're keeping all the good information to themselves!" he yelled.

"How can you trust him to protect you as a party member!? He could wind up leaving you and the rest of your buddies for dead!" Kibaou retorted, a snarl on his face.

"Don't you dare try questioning my friend's loyalty!" Lancelot snapped.

"May I speak?" a deep voice asked. Lancelot looked in the direction of who spoke, and saw an older, dark skinned man stand up and walk down the three below. Lancelot let go of Kibaou and stood there with his arms crossed, looking up at the larger man.

"My name is Egil. Kibaou, tell me if I have this right. You're saying that because the beta testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation. Correct?" Egil stated.

"Y-Yeah." Kibaou said, obviously intimidated.

"You got this guide book, didn't you?" Egil asked, pulling out a small brown book like the one Lancelot had in one of his coats pockets. "It was provided for free at the item store."

"Yeah, what about it?" Kibaou asked, not seeing the point.

"Do you know who was passing these out? The beta testers." Egil said. Lancelot got a smug grin and flashed a thumbs up towards Gawain, who whooped with joy at the recognition he and his fellow beta testers were getting. "Listen up, everyone had equal access to this information, even still, a lot of players still died. Now I didn't come here to point fingers at any one. I'm here cause' I want to learn from those player's death, I'm here because I want to know how we're gonna beat the boss." Egil said, turning around and facing Kibaou, who had a very angry look on his face, then stalking to a spot to sit down. Lancelot went to sit back down, a rather satisfied expression on his face as he slapped a high five with Gawain, which got some giggles from the two girls.

"Okay. Can we get back to the meeting now?" Diabel asked, pulling out his guide-book. "For info on the boss, it's all in here." He said, lifting up the small book. "The latest issue of the guide book you just heard about. According to the book, the boss' name is 'Illfang the Kobold Lord,' also, he'll be surrounded by his minions, the 'Ruin Kobold Sentinels.' Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a Tow'war. He can change his patterns of attack to." Diabel informed everyone, closing the book, "That's it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot. Money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the EXP. And whoever gets an item, gets to keep it. Any objections?" Diabel asked, looking over the entire crowd. "Good! We leave tomorrow at ten in the morning! Meeting adjourned people!" Diabel finished.

"Motivational speech anyone?" Gawain chuckled sarcastically.

"Shut up Gawain." Lancelot chuckled, standing up and adjusting his coat, a habit he'd fallen into since he didn't have his glasses to push up.

"If I could feel anything my butt would be hurting now." Percival sighed.

"Again with acting gloomy Perci? Come on! We're going to beat the first boss tomorrow and get this thing on a roll!" Takoyo laughed, tapping Percival's shoulders and bouncing around with glee. Lancelot looked at Gawain and gestured towards Takoyo.

"How'd you two meet?" He asked.

"It's a long story dude, I really don't want to explain." Gawain sighed.

"I have plenty of time." Lancelot chuckled.

"No, you don't. Look, we go to the same school, have similar interests and personalities, what more do you need?" Gawain sighed as he started up the steps.

"Hey! The four of you!" Diabel called out. Lancelot looked down at the blue haired man, who gestured for them to come down.

"Gawain, you and the girls head into town, I'll see what Diabel wants." Lancelot said, getting a nod. He jogged over to the group around Diabel, "What do ya need?"

"I wanted to ask if you guys were in a guild since you're all wearing similar outfits." Diable said.

"Doesn't sound like asking really. But yeah we are. I'm the leader, though we don't have a name yet, or that many more member's in fact, it's just the four of us." Lancelot muttered.

"Haha! Well, I hope you'll eventually grow! It'll be nice having a guild with us." Diabel said, putting a hand on Lancelot's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I have a friend who was a beta tester so I've had some help. That, and I got the game as a late birthday present and had some items placed into my account as a present. The coat and sword to make it simple." Lancelot said, brushing off Diabels hand.

"Impressive. I know it's rude of me to ask, but what's your level?" Diabel asked.

"About twenty five." Lancelot said, "I need to meet up with the rest of my guild, I'll see you guys tomorrow." He said, giving a two-fingered salute before running off, not noticing the suspicious look Kibaou shot him.

(Evening)

"Did they seriously have to run off like that?" Lancelot grumbled as he and Percival scoured the town for the other two, who'd run off without warning.

"Well, unless, someone, oh I don't know, _requested_ that they go somewhere." Percival said, acting like she didn't know anything. _Please catch on! _She begged in her head, seriously hoping that Lancelot would get what she meant, that she wanted some alone time with him.

"Gawain doesn't like to listen to others that much, unless Takoyo dragged him off against his will then that would be a different situation entirely." Lancelot muttered, stopping and leaning on a wall. Percival leaned on the wall right next to him, slowly trying to inch closer.

"Percival?" Lancelot asked.

"I- I wasn't trying to do anything! Nope! Nothing!" Percival spat out, jumping in front of Lancelot and waving her arms around in a panic.

"Let me finish, yeesh." Lancelot chuckled, "I wanted to know what your thoughts on all of this are. You could've stayed behind, and people are dying for real. What made you decide to come along?" he asked.

"Well, uhhh…. I didn't want to stay behind. Everyone who's back in The Town of Beginnings will only move as the floors they can reach increase, and even then, they'll rely on guilds like ours to help them. I didn't want to be in that boat." Percival admitted, twiddling her thumbs in embarrassment. "And, something else…" Percival muttered. Lancelot cocked an eyebrow before placing his hands behind his head.

"And that would be?" He asked.

"Nothing! At least, I'm not ready to say it!" Percival said quickly, a rather dark blush showing up. Lancelot sighed and started walking.

"Come on, if we're going to find the other two we might as well keep looking." He said, waving for Percival to follow.

"Coming." Percival sighed, "Man, why couldn't I tell him?" she asked herself. Lancelot looked back slightly, cocking an eyebrow again. _What does she seem so put out about? _He wondered.

(December 3 2022/ Floor 1: Dungeon/ Top floor)

Lancelot slid his sword back into his sheath as he backed up from the walkway backwards as one of the last groups along with two other players, Kirito and Asuna, as he'd found out as they all made their way to the dungeon.

"Hey, Lancelot, why do you think Kirito and Asuna are in a group with just themselves?" Percival asked him as Diabel reviewed the plan, shifting her rapier between her hands nervously.

"They're probably solo players." Lancelot replied as the massive doors opened and the large group proceeded in slowly. Lancelot slid his sword out slightly, keeping a firm hold on the hilt as he followed, looking back to the other three, who nodded to say that they were ready. Lancelot looked over the other three: Percival with her rapier, Gawain with his battle ax, Takoyo with a sword and shield, and himself with his Masamune blade. Looking forward into the dark room, everything lit up at once, and Lancelot gasped slightly at the sight of Illfang: A massive creature with red akin and rather ominous glowing eyes. Just as Diabel had said, Illfang had an ax and a buckler, and a larger sword on his back.

"They sure do know how to make a first boss." He chuckled as some of the minions spawned, whipping out his sword fully. "Remember guys, we're with the reserves, so keep the minions off the main group!" Lancelot said as the charge began.

"Right!" the other three replied. Lancelot placed his sword close to his back, activating a sword skill and swinging right through one of the minion's maces.

"Switch!" He called out, and Pefcival jumped in delivering quick stabs from her rapier and finishing the minion off. The process repeated itself for a good while, with Diabel directing the "squads." Lancleot had to admit that Diabel's leadership skills were impressive as he slashed another minion down. He heard Illfang's roar and looked over, spotting that his last health bar was now in the red. Illfang threw his ax and shield away, just like Diabel said would happen. Lancelot kept watching as Diabel moved through the crowd and came to face the beast, which pulled out the sword on his back.

"Wait a sec! That's a No-Dachi! Diabel get back!" Gawain shouted as Diabel charged forward.

"It's no good! Get out of there!" Lancelot heard Kirito yell, but it was too late. Diabel's attack missed by a longshot as Illfang jumped and slashed him, sending the man flying before hitting him again, sending him across the room. _And to think I made a joke about this earlier! _Lancelot said in his head as he watched Kirito rush over to Diabel to try to help. Lancelot looked back towards the main group, and Illfang was pounding everyone, he raised his sword just in time to catch the massive blade, swiping it to the side and jumping back.

"Man, this is not going well!" Gawain yelled as he skidded to a stop by Lancelot.

"I know!" Lancelot yelled as he swatted Illfang's blade to the side again. When Lancelot looked back, booth Kirito and Asuna were taking a charge, and Lancelot pulled imself and Gawain out of the way, landing by Percival and Takoyo. The four watched as the Kirito and Asuna traded blows with Illfang, Kirito getting hit by an underhand strike and sent flying into Asuna shortly after.

"Come on! Let's help them out!" Egil yelled as he jumped forward, catching Illfang's sword before it could finish the two off.

"Let's go!" Lancelot yelled he shot up and swung at Illfang to help hold it off long enough. The group was shot back and Lancelot was caught by Gawain. Illfang jumped up to finish the attack group off, but Krirto intercepted it, and Lancelot marveled at the diplay that came when Kirito and Asuna finished it off. He covered his eyes as the bright light shined from Illfang's defeat. Everyone stood in mild shock for a moment, then cheers broke out in a chorus as the "Congratulations" appeared. Lancelot let ut a relived sigh, ignoring the small screen that popped up in front of him showing the EXP he got.

"WE DID IT!" Percival yelled as she toppled Lancelot over with a flying hug, insuring laughs from Gawain and Takoyo. Lancelot chuckled a little at the sheer amount of joy coming from everyone as he sat up, a rather hard thing to do since Percival was still on him and laughing ecstatically as the room darkened. Everyone started congratulating Kirito on a job well done since he was the one who helped bring about the victory.

"STOP CHEERING!" Kibaou yelled, and everyone went silent, "Why'd you do it huh? Why'd you let Diabel die?!" he demanded.

"Let him die?" Kirito asked, bewilderment showing slightly.

"That's what I said! Admit it! You knew the technique the boss was gonna use! You could've told us! Then Diabel would've stood a chance! He wouldn't have had to die!" Kibaou yelled. Other in the cowd started murmuring. One of the players by Kibaou shouted off that Kirito knew the bosses attack pattern and didn't bother to tell anyone, declaring that, like Gawain, he was a beta tester.

"What's your problem with beta testers!?" Lancelot demanded as he stalked up to Kibaous group, the crowd parting to let him pass.

"What's out problem?! WHAT"S OUR PROBLEM!?" Kibaou yelled, shooting up and getting right in front of Lancelot, "Our problem is that those damn beta testers are complete jerks! When did you see one trying to help!?"

"Diabel was a beta tester." Lancelot said, a calm tone in his voice, "Did that make him a bad person? He did everything he could to help others, so would being a beta tester mean that he was automatically lying because the oh-so terrible beta testers can't be trusted?! And what about my friend Gawain!? He's a beta tester, and he's been helping almost everyone we come across! Going out of his way to help the others! Helping them get stronger so they can survive!" Lancelot said in retort, surprising Kibaou, "Why do you think Diabel went in for the last attack? Gawain told me that whoever gets the last attack on a boss gets a rare item bonus, and Diabel knew that. He'd already established the rules for item drops, and he hadn't been fighting either, so he was well within his rights as a player to get the last blow and receive the rare item!"

"Yeah, but then that beta tester over there let him die and instead took the rare item for him-" Kibaou didn't get to finish because Lancelot promptly punched him in the face, causing Kibaou to reel back, holding his nose by reflex even though it wouldn't hurt. Lancelot turned around when he heard Kirito laughing along with Asuna and Egil, who were trying to get both Lancelot and Kibaou to calm down.

"So you guys think I used to be a beta tester? It's not cool to put me in the same class with those noobs." Kirito said in an almost mocking way as he stood up. _What is he doing! _Lancelot growled in his head.

"What did you say!?" Kibaou bit.

"You heard me, most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys were better than they were." Kirito stated as he walked through the crowd. "But me, I'm nothing like those guys man. During the beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other testers." Kirito said as he came to a stop in front of Kibaou and Lancelot, "That's a fact, I knew about the boss, cause I fought tons of monsters with way more sword skills on higher floors! I know a bunch of other things to, more than you can imagine, more than any info broker." Lancelot clenched his right hand as Krito said this, wondering why he was explaining this.

"What the heel? If that's true than you're worse than a beta tester! You f-king cheater that's what you are!" Kibaou yelled, and a commotion started, and someone threw out that Kirito was a "beta tester and a cheater, a Beater."

"A beater? Yeah that's good, I like it. Okay, you can call me 'The Beater,' just, make sure you don't confuse me with those beta testers anymore." Kirito chuckled as he equipped what must've been the bonus item: a black trench coat that was like an alternate version of the one Lancelot wore, just a bit more on the plain side, though Lancelot did admit that it still looked cool for some reason. Lancelot walked back over to his gathered guild with a sigh, some of the players flashing dirty looks, but a quick glimpse of Lancelot's sword quickly made them avert their gazes.

"Good job back there you guys." Egil said as he walked up to Lancelot, "I don't believe we've officially met, I know I've said it before, but I'm Egil." Egil said as he stuck out his hand.

"Lancelot, and this is my guild, the…" Lancelot though it over for a second, then smiled a little, "We're the Lunar Knights!" he said as he shook Egil's hand. "Pleasure to meet you!"

**A/N**

**WHEW! AND THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THE STORY OFFICCALY BEGINS TO BRANCH OFF FROM THE MAIN STORY OF SAO! OF COURSE THEY'RE STILL BE PARTS WHERE THER CHARACTERS COME BACK TO THE MAIN LINE, BUT NOW IT'LL BE ABOUT THEIR ADVENTURES FOR A WHILE!**


End file.
